Told you it'd ne pretty quick after Chap. 4. This chapter is going to reveal quite a bit about Maddox. Now this chapter is probably going to be annoying to read as there is a different languauge in this. But do not worry because I translated it. The english will be in parenthesis while what they're are actually saying is in the actual quotes.
Chapter 5: Internal Battles
Everyone walked out of where they stayed for the night. Hammerlock decided he'd keep Maddox in his house for the night. Hammerlock rushed outside. "He's gone and so are his stuff!"
The 6 of them frantically looked around for a sign of their friend. They looked around for a good hour. "I guess he just up and left... Still. We need to get going." Axton said.
Gaige couldn't believe it. He had actually left. No note of goodbye, no personal goodbye. Just gone. Just like that. Then Gaige saw footprints. They were too small to be any of the current guys, and too big for her and Maya. Gaige decided to follow them.
Sure enough, at the end of the trail was Maddox, sitting there not doing anything. He hadn't heard her approach. Almost like he was meditating. Suddenly, he stood up and threw an ice chunk against the ice wall. The impact caused a small crack on the wall. "You know we almost left without you." Gaige told him, he seemed to be a little startled. "We all thought you up and left."
"Oh, sorry. Should've told you." He hadn't looked at her yet.
"What was that about anyway? Why did you go all the way out here?"
"I needed to think. Clear out my head. I'm fine though."
"So other than having problems inside your head are you ok? Do you feel like you're running out of energy?"
"Yea, I have about half of the energy. Should last me a couple weeks."
"I'm glad you're ok." Gaige hugged him from behind. "Are you mad at me?"
"No. Just glad I can wake up again."
"Come on." She let go of him. "Let's head back we need to get going." Gaige suggested. Maddox followed her.
While Maddox was unconscious…
"Kcab niaga ydaerla?" (Back again already?) A humanoid figure glowing completely red said to the hazel eyed 18 year old in front of him. The surrounding area was a black void of nothing.
"Sey." (Yes.) Maddox replied.
"Uoy erew tsuj ereh yadretsey. Uoy era revo gnisu ruoy srewop." (You were just here yesterday. You are over using your powers.) The entity said. "Yhw dluohs I evig uoy rehtona ecnahc" (Why should I give you another chance?)
"Mi ton gnittel uoy ekat lortnoc. Yllaicepse retfa tahw uoy did tsal emit." (I'm not letting you take control. Especially after what you did last time)
"Oot dab. Skool ekil siht emit lluoy deen ot thgif rof ti." (Too bad. Looks like this time you'll need to fight for it.)
"Ko, ta tsael lli eid gniyrt ot pots uoy." (Ok, at least I'll die trying to stop you.)
The entity floated forward with extreme speed. Maddox tried to time his punch in order to hit its head. However his hand ran right through him. While the entity has slammed him onto the ground. "Loof. Uoy tonnac niw." (Fool. You cannot win.) The entity straddled him and began to punch him wherever he couldn't guard. The entity deployed dual blades and tried to stab Maddox as he barely dodged out of the way.
Maddox decided to try and punch it again. Finding his hand went through however He took this opportunity of its phase to escape from its hold on him. The entity floated and began firing bolts of plasma at him. Maddox had to dodge these knowing one hit from these would cause him to lose. The entity gave up trying to shoot him and decided to fight him face to face. The entity deployed dual blades and began to slash at Maddox who narrowly dodged the incoming blows. He sliced above and Maddox ducked under it and sweeped the legs of the entity. Surprised that he actually tripped him.
Maddox figured out it could switch on and off his phasing ability. So that means he must attack while the entity attacks. Otherwise his attacks are wasted. The entity tackled Maddox again and Maddox managed to push it off as it was trying to throw a punch at him. The entity disappeared.
Axton, Maya, Sal, Zero, Krieg, and Gaige were far off into the distance. Maddox had won and was glad to see them. He ran forward finding himself in Liar's Berg.
They all pointed their weapons at Maddox. "Woah woah, guys guys. What's going on?"
"How can we trust you Maddox? You didn't tell us." They all said in unison.
"This is a trick, you aren't real."
"You lied to us." They all began to shoot at Maddox. Maddox ran a few bullets were able to hit his arms and his legs. But Maddox had to ignore the pain he felt. So he kept running. He saw they had to reload. So Maddox tackled Faxton as he deployed his turret. The turret began to fire accurate shots at Maddox. Maddox had no choice but to use Faxton as a meat shield. The turret stopped firing and the other 5 fakes didn't want to hurt Faxton.
Faxton remained unmoving. His own turret had killed him as it began to destruct. The remaining 5 started to shoot at him again. Maddox grabbed Faxton's gun and ran behind a incomplete ice brick wall. They stopped firing and he peeked over the cover. Faya's tattoos began to glow blue and Maddox was caught in a purple ball of energy. Maddox tried to get out but was stuck. His gun however, happened to be aimed right at Faya. Maddox used all of his dying strength to move his finger just to pull the trigger. The gun fired and Faya took it all and was killed. Maddox was released from the energy ball and he fell to the ground back in his cover.
Foulvador pulled out two guns and completely obliterated his cover. Maddox ran for another cover. Taking even more bullets. Maddox was getting tired and getting slower with each bullet that entered his leg. Finally behind a more fortified wall, Maddox sat against it. Trying to figure out his options, Maddox looked at his gun seeing that he had failed to grab extra ammo off of Faxton and he had one bullet left in the clip. Maddox took out the mag, leaving one bullet in the chamber. Foul came around the wall and began shooting him again. Maddox charged and tripped the short man. Maddox sat on top of him and snapped his neck.
Foro came around the wall with his sword. Then started doing weird sword tricks. Maddox ran forward to tackle him but found it was a hologram. The real Foro was invisible somewhere. Maddox stood up and looked around. "Come on you fought Ivan you can do this." He motivated himself. Maddox closed his eyes and started listening. A single bird chirp. The sound of an iceberg falling apart. The near silent crunch of snow behind him. Maddox opened his eyes and ducked he grabbed his rifle and fired behind him. Foro uncloaked and fell over. A hole in his mask. Maddox dropped the now empty rifle.
Frieg suddenly burst through the wall and threw the buzz axe at Maddox. Maddox ducked as the buzz axe went over his head. Frieg slammed into Maddox knocking him on the floor. "I'M GOING TO PUT YOUR HEAD ON MY MERRY GO ROUND." Frieg grabbed the buzz axe and lifted it over his head. Maddox caught the buzz axe but knew the psycho's enhanced strength would overpower him quickly. Maddox could feel the spinning blade near his neck and decided to try and kick him in the groin. Maddox was surprised that it worked, Frieg held himself and dropped the buzz axe. Maddox grabbed the buzz axe and shoved it in his throat. Frieg fell over dead.
Maddox breathed heavily, "Just one more fake." He said to himself. He tried to limp over to the hole in the wall. But his leg gave out and he began to fall, however something caught him. Maddox looked to see what caught him. "Gaige?!" a smile on his face glad she found someway into his head. However, her cybernetic arm cocked back and punched his stomach. Maddox coughed up blood, something he hadn't seen from himself for 3 years. "Nope, you're just Faige." Suddenly, DT appeared in front of him. Maddox rolled out of the way just before the ion claws could reach him. Maddox hurriedly got up and tried to run. Faige grabbed his legs causing him to trip. Maddox grunted in pain, he turned around and used his badly bruised leg and kicked her against the wall. Maddox scrambled to get up as DT began to fire his eye beam. Maddox grabbed a shiny piece of metal and reflected the laser back at him. DT short circuited and lost control and slammed into Faige sending her back into the wall harder than Maddox had when he kicked her. Maddox knew she wasn't dead as DT was still laying on the ground. Maddox leaned against the wall to get over to her and finish her off.
"All we wanted to do-" she coughed up blood. "-was help you. You betrayed us all. I-I don't even know you." Gaige-no no no. Faige. Faige said tears streaming down her face, as she let out her final breath. Maddox collapsed. He won, soon he would be in the real world.
Suddenly, everything turned black and a void again as the entity came on top of Maddox strangling and blocking his airway. Maddox tried to push it off, however his hands only went through it. Only its hands were physical. Maddox tried to release its hands however was getting weak due to the lack of his oxygen. Maddox saw his vision blackening. Maddox frantically threw his arms around its body. Then felt something hard, he grabbed it and brought it to his fading vision. Seeing it was a red crystal. Maddox slammed the crystal against the ground, shattering it. The entity disappeared, as Maddox gasped for air. Slowly finding himself now laying on a desk in some sort of house.
Maddox got up finding all his wounds were healed. But unsure if it was real. He found a pile of gear with a note saying it was his. Maddox took the gear and walked outside, it was dark out. Maddox started walking in a random direction. Eventually finding a dead end. Maddox sat down in front of the ice wall.
"Uoy kniht evuoy now?" (You think you've won?) The entity appeared again.
"Tnod wonk. Loof em ecno. Emahs no em. Eciwt, emahs no uoy. Tub ti tnow neppah niaga." (Don't know. Fool me once. Shame on me. Twice, shame on you. But it won't happen again.)
"Llew uoy era ekawa won. Tnod eveileb em? Esu ruoy rewop dna tuc na eci knuhc tuo." (Well you are awake now. Don't believe me? Use your power and cut an ice chunk out.)
Hesitantly, Maddox caused a piece of ice to be surrounded with red and took out the chunk. "Ees?" (See?) The entity spoke.
Maddox didn't respond. But he knew he was awake now. The entity was the reason he had powers. While yes the entity was inherently evil. Maddox was its prison cell. In return of holding a powerful unkillable being. He could wield its power as long as it was still in its cell. Maddox also considered that if the other was like him, that if the evil being inside him or her had escaped and took over the body. He'd need to deal with it.
Maddox and the entity continued to talk till morning. The entity saw something behind Maddox. Maddox noticed this but didn't care to pay attention. "Mi gniog ot llik lla fo ruoy sdneirf." (I'm going to kill all of your friends.) The entity got a very devious smile. "Eht lrig lliw eb eht tsom elbayojne." (The girl will be the most enjoyable.)
In a fit of anger Maddox stood up and threw ice chunk from earlier at the wall and caused the wall to crack.
"You know we almost left without you." Maddox heard Gaige behind him. That's why the entity was smiling. Gaige was behind him. "We all thought you up and left."
"Oh, sorry. Should've told you."
"What was that about anyway? Why did you go all the way out here?"
"I needed to think. Clear out my head. I'm fine though."
"So other than having problems inside your head are you ok? Do you feel like you're running out of energy?"
Maddox wanted to tell her to go away. That he was dangerous. "I have about half of the energy. I'll be good for a couple weeks."
Gaige hugged him from behind. "I'm glad you're ok. Are you mad at me?"
"No. Just glad I can wake up again." Maddox said truthfully. He was very happy to be back.
So there you have it, Chapter 5 and a little insight to what Maddox really is. Since nothing really happened in the outside world. There will not be an Inventory Update like there is at the end of other chapters. Till next time.